Edible Michiana Fall 2012 : Page 27

of briny seaweed. Th e result was a dining experience more akin to interactive performance art than a typical meal. As Lind says, “Eating at Alinea is an artistic experience.” built their house. Th e couple coaxed the soil (depleted from decades of monoculture) back to life with homemade compost. By the time their son, Matt, started Sustainable Greens in 1996, the Linds had been growing food organically for 20 years. SINGULAR SENSATIONS ROLE MODELS It is also an emotional one. At Alinea, Achatz strives to invoke din-ers’ sentiments and memories with his creations. When the enormous seaweed platter arrived, I was startled how the smell triggered intense feelings of nostalgia. (As a child, I lived by the sea.) And the blueberry compote I sampled in the Alinea kitchen with Kate Lind was so good that I felt like Tilda Swinton in the fi lm I am Love when her character eats a prawn and the world around her grows dim and fuzzy. Each berry was a perfect purple orb, tender but whole. Th e buttermilk was sweet and tangy and creamy. Scattered on top were crumbles of blueberry frozen yogurt and sorrel— sorrel! —ice cream, rocky fragments of cake, Lind’s oxalis leaves and a sprinkle of pansy petals and candied violets. It was fresh and green, lush and rich and utterly intoxicating. I was standing in one of the world’s top professional kitchens and all I wanted to do was sit down on the fl oor and commune with my compote. Today, the Linds are role models for a slew of dynamic young farmers in the Michiana area. Former farm interns like Ben and Rachel Hart-man of Goshen’s Clay Bottom Farm (recipient of an Edible Michiana 2012 Local Hero award) credit the Linds with teaching them about farming, food and building community. Th e Hartmans now have interns of their own and sell their pro-duce to some of the best local restaurants (Kelly Jae’s, Cerulean, Venturi, to name a few)—though not Chicago just yet. “Before we worked with [the Linds], all our role models were professional people. Th ey opened up our eyes to another possibility. We would say to each other: ‘How do we want to live?’ ‘Whom do we want to be like?’ And the answer was always Kate and James.” Sustainable Greens 10412 Harder Rd., Th ree Rivers, MI 264.244.8355 Produce available at the Goshen Farmers Market Maya Parson is a regular contributor to Edible Michiana. A cultural anthropologist and home cook, she can be found most Saturday mornings at the Goshen Farmers Market or online at www.culturedgrub.com. AHEAD OF THEIR TIME If Achatz has transformed the defi nition of fi ne dining, Kate and James Lind, in a quieter but no less determined way, have been at the forefront of a food revolution on their home turf. Like Achatz, they have been out of sync with the status quo in the best possible ways. When the Linds bought their 40 acres outside Th ree Rivers in the 1970s, they lived for two years in a handmade teepee while they hand-Coconut-Ginger Braised Greens Kate Lind makes these braised greens regularly with produce from her Th ree Rivers, Michigan, farm. Th e coconut oil gives the greens a subtle nutty fl avor and combines nicely with the ginger and soy or fi sh sauce for a rich Southeast Asian–infl uenced dish. 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small onion, chopped 1 inch ginger root, minced ¼ teaspoon red pepper fl akes (optional) 1 pound chopped fresh greens (Kate recommends kale, tatsoi, Sustainable Greens braising mix, Swiss chard or, if available, purslane, red amaranth, or lamb’s quarters) 2 tablespoons vegetable or meat stock or water Soy sauce or fi sh sauce to taste (you can substitute salt if desired) Sauté garlic, onion, ginger and pepper fl akes in coconut oil over medium high heat for 2–3 minutes. Add greens and stock or wa-ter. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until greens are tender. Season to taste with soy or fi sh sauce. edibleMichiana.com 27

Coconut Ginger Braised Greens

Kate Lind makes these braised greens regularly with produce from her Three Rivers, Michigan, farm. The coconut oil gives the greens a subtle nutty flavor and combines nicely with the ginger and soy or fish sauce for a rich Southeast Asian–influenced dish.

Sauté garlic, onion, ginger and pepper flakes in coconut oil over medium high heat for 2–3 minutes. Add greens and stock or water. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until greens are tender. Season to taste with soy or fish sauce.